The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGVS) announced on 20 October 2023 that the notification of decisions granting or refusing subsidiary protection status to applicants from Gaza and the West Bank is suspended until the CGRS has sufficient objective information to assess the security situation in the Palestinian territories accurately.

Home Affairs Ministers met at the JHA Council in Brussels on 19 October. They discussed progress on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum and exchanged views on the EU’s approach to the external dimension of migration. They stressed that the EU should efficiently use all the tools at its disposal to develop a preventive model which would hinder irregular departures, as well as to foster the effectiveness of returns.

For the EU Anti-Trafficking Day, the European Commission is launching an awareness-raising campaign to inform citizens on the reality of this crime. The European Commission invites every citizen to help raise awareness by becoming part of the ‘End human trafficking. Break the invisible chain’ campaign. 

After the terrorist attack perpetrated by an illegally staying failed asylum seeker in the centre of Brussels on 16 October, various policymakers plead for better follow-up of failed asylum seekers and stricter enforcement of orders to leave the territory.

The European Council invited the Commission to present an Action Plan on the Eastern Mediterranean route, as part of a broader approach to help alleviate the pressure on Member States faced with large numbers of irregular arrivals along the route. This Action Plan identifies operational measures that will contribute to addressing the ongoing challenges along this route.

Fencing work has started today along the Westkerke and Mannekensvere highway car parks on the E40 to prevent transmigrants from crossing the highway to climb into lorries aiming to reach the UK.

The EMN Steering Board has voted on the topics which will be analysed in studies and informs in 2024. In line with the targets outlined in the 2023-2025 work programme of the EMN, 3 new studies and 10 new informs will be published next year.

In a new state of play published today, the European Commission reviews the state of affairs regarding progress on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. Key developments since the last state of play from April 2023 are highlighted.

The federal government has reached an agreement today on the 2024 budget. While 1.2 billion euros will improve the budget balance, 500 million euros will cover additional needs, including in the asylum and migration field.

Eurostat published today data referring to the attribution of temporary protection status based on the Council Implementing Decision 2022/382 of 4 March 2022. On 31 August 2023, almost 4.2 million non-EU citizens, who fled Ukraine as a consequence of the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022, had temporary protection status in EU countries. 

The European Migration Network (EMN) Glossary is an essential resource, which offers an EU-wide multidisciplinary vocabulary of approximately 500 terms and concepts related to asylum and migration. Let's focus today on the term "access to employment" to make sure we have a common understanding and use of the term!

Since 2013, Belgium has already resettled more than 4,500 refugees. To celebrate the importance of the program, Fedasil organised today an event bringing together key national and international partners such as the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, UNHCR, IOM, Foreign Affairs, the Immigration Office and Caritas International.

At a meeting of the Council’s permanent representatives committee (COREPER), Member States sealed their negotiating mandate on a regulation on crisis situations, including instrumentalisation of migration, and force majeure in the field of migration and asylum. This position will form the basis of negotiations between the Council presidency and the European Parliament.

The department "Alternatives To Detention" (ATD) from the Immigration Office organises walk-in counters for illegally staying persons who wish to receive ICAM coaching, every Wednesday from 9 until 12h in Brussels, Antwerp and Liège.

On the proposal of the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor, the Council of Ministers approved today a draft royal decree relating to the granting of material assistance to applicants for international protection benefiting from professional income.

During the Justice and Home Affairs Council today, Ministers inter alia supported the need to strengthen the external dimension of EU migration policy in order to face the migratory challenges the EU shares with other continents and countries. 

As part of an investigation into acts of trafficking in human beings, 30 brothels in the northern district of Brussels have been placed under judicial seal. 25 people were subject to judicial arrest and 23 others were administratively deprived of their liberty.

A Belgian expert participated in the conference of the Austrian Contact Point to the European Migration Network (EMN) focusing on opportunities and challenges in the management of EU's external borders. Participants inter alia identified the weaponization of migration as a major challenge concerning the protection of EU's external borders.

On the proposal of the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor, the Council of Ministers agreed today that people who live outside the reception network receive information and support from Fedasil. The Council of Ministers approved an action plan and funding for this purpose.

For 10 years now, the Duo for a Job association has aimed inter alia to help eliminate inequalities in access to the labour market for young people with a migrant background. Results are conclusive as seven out of ten young people successfully find a stable job, an internship or training that leads them to the job they initially wanted.

In its judgment in Case C-143/22 | ADDE and Others, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled today that the Return Directive applies to any third-country national who has entered the territory of a Member State without fulfilling the conditions of entry, stay or residence. That also applies when the person concerned has entered that territory even before crossing a border crossing point where such checks are carried out.

The European Commission is proposing today to further extend the temporary protection for people fleeing Russia's aggression against Ukraine from 4 March 2024 to 3 March 2025. This Commission proposal will now have to be adopted by the Council.

The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor is already making it clear that Belgium will not respond positively to the request for relocation of migrants who have arrived in Lampedusa. This position is mainly explained by the shortage of reception places in Belgium.

The Belgian Contact Point to the European Migration Network is looking for an intern to support the team in its mission, including in the framework of the 2024 Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU. If you want to expand your knowledge on asylum and migration topics as well as your network in this field, this opportunity may be for you!

The Ombudsman is asking whether the Commission conducted a human rights impact assessment before signing the agreement, if periodic reviews will be conducted during implementation, and if there are criteria for suspending funding in case of human rights violations.